


Terrorized

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Mafia AU [9]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-08 00:10:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4283217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But tonight, he didn’t have a choice. Tonight, as he agreed to babysit while his family went out and lived a little. Tonight, as the brat slept in his bed and he sat on the sofa with a beer and the latest Stephen King.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Terrorized

**Author's Note:**

> The dynamics are a little different in this AU, in that Damian is much more trusting of the likes of Dick, Jason, Barbara and Talia. Once Damian was aware of where he was, he knew it was Jason the whole time, he just needed physical reassurance, and didn’t care who he got it from, that’s why he’s a little more open with the potential affection. This would be before the others joined them in leaving the family, but after Bruce’s attempted hit on Jason.

It was all a long time coming. Talia’s first business trip since appearing back in their lives. Barbara’s first date since defecting from Bruce’s reign. Dick’s first time out with friends since…god, Jason can’t even remember.

Damian’s first nightmare since the trial.

It was bound to happen this way, really. Being a parent was never easy, he was learning that vicariously through Talia and Dick’s trials. He knew that already, of course. It’s why he didn’t take Damian in himself. He was barely a good brother, why would anyone so much as _think_ he’d make a good dad, too?

But tonight, he didn’t have a choice. Tonight, as he agreed to babysit while his family went out and lived a little. Tonight, as the brat slept in his bed and he sat on the sofa with a beer and the latest Stephen King.

Jason was a cop. He’d been a part of one of the worst mob families in Gotham City. He didn’t scare easily.

So it surprised him, to say the least. When that _shriek_ sounded from the bedroom, and he near jumped off the couch.

And it probably said something about him, that the first thing he did was grab at his hip, where his gun would be was he in uniform. That his first thought was someone broke into his house.

But then reality set it. The security of his home. The _terror_ in Damian’s voice. He lurched up, near spilling his drink as he jogged around the table, and into the short hallway.

He could hear Damian’s shallow, harsh breathing the whole way, and tried to run through the possibilities. Was he sick? Was there a bug in his room? (Was Damian afraid of bugs?) Was he hurt? Was he…

He came through the doorway, flipped the light switch and found Damian twisted all up in the blankets…fast asleep.

Not comfortably, though. His eyes were squeezed impossibly tight. Hands fisted into the blankets with all his strength. Body coiled like a snake ready to strike. Sweat covered his face.

Jason moved to the side of the bed, watching for a moment, as Damian continued his shaky breaths, light mumbling.

“No, no, I…I don’t want to, I…” A sharp inhale, body jerking. “No, Father, don’t…!”

Aw, shit.

Jason reached out, intending to wake the child, but Damian’s eyes flew open before he could. Damian didn’t give himself a chance to focus, didn’t give himself a second to take in his surroundings. He just looked up towards Jason’s face, instantly reeling backwards.

_“Get away from me, Father!”_

He kept pushing himself backwards, quickly cornering himself against the wall. His arm slipped between the wall and mattress, still tangled amongst the sheets. He dropped back, head banging against the painted drywall.

His eyes near crossed as he blinked rapidly. “Get…get awa…”

“Slow down there, soldier.” Jason tried, sitting on the edge of the mattress. Damian still curled away, but less so now. “It’s just me.”

Damian blinked a few more times. “T-Todd?”

“Attaboy.” Jason smiled. He leaned across the mattress, helping pull the boy out of the hole. The boy’s skin was still clammy, limbs still trembling. “I gotcha Damian, I’m here. You’re okay.”

“He’s coming isn’t he.” Damian whispered as Jason dragged him across the bed. There was no prompting, or first movements. Damian just latched himself onto Jason’s torso. “He’s going to get us. He’s going to _find_ us, and he’s going to _kill_ us.”

And maybe Damian just wasn’t awake enough yet, because surely he wouldn’t be hugging Jason if he was. Despite identifying him by name, maybe he didn’t realize it was Jason who was comforting him right now. But that’s okay. If he thought it was Dick, then so be it.

“No, he’s not.” Jason promised, wrapping his arms tightly around Damian’s back and rocking slightly. “I promise, kiddo. I’m not going to let him hurt you.”

“You can’t _promise_ that.” Damian rasped. “Because he already almost got _you_. He already almost killed you and your partners.”

Oh. Maybe he did know it was Jason, then.

“Deep breaths, Damian.” Jason said instead. He ducked down, trying to break into Damian’s field of view. “I need you to take deep breaths for me, okay?”

Damian didn’t respond, but a few moments later Jason could feel the pressure of Damian’s chest slowly expanding and deflating.

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again.” Jason muttered absently, leaning his cheek on Damian’s head, rubbing absently at his back as he continued his breathing exercises. “I _will not_ let him get near you. I won’t let him find you, I won’t let him hurt you.”

Damian didn’t respond, other than to dig his nails into Jason’s shirt.

“But it’s okay to be scared. And don’t think anyone’s ever going to make fun of you for that.” He paused, listening as Damian’s breathing began to even out again. After a minute or so, he asked. “Now, you think you can go back to sleep for me? ”

He felt Damian’s grip tighten, just slightly.

“I can’t guarantee you won’t have more nightmares.” Jason admitted. “But…you’ll feel better with a full night’s sleep. Probably.”

Damian hesitated, but eventually shifted, blinking drowsily upwards. “Will…you stay in here?”

“Until Dickie gets home.” Jason shrugged. “Sure. If you want me to.”

“Well, when is that?” Damian demanded.

“Not too long. Maybe another hour or two.” Jason unraveled his arms, slowly standing. “Lay back down, I’ll be back in a second.”

Jason ducked out of the room, swinging by the coffee table to grab his beer and his book, and circling around to the kitchen. He poured out the beer, instead grabbing a new glass and filling it with water.

When he returned to the room, Damian was watching the door expectantly, face pressed nervously into his pillow, left arm buried underneath it. It was…almost sad. The haughty little prince boy, reduced to night terrors and pleas of company.

_Look what you’ve done, Bruce. Look what you did to your fucking kid._

“Here.” Jason ordered. “Drink a little.”

Damian leaned up on his elbows, taking the glass of water. He took a few gulps as Jason sat down next to him, stretching his legs on the blanket as he leaned against the wall behind the pillows. When he finished, Jason took the glass, sitting it on the nightstand. Damian settled back down into the pillows, staring up at Jason with a blank face.

“Just until Grayson returns.” Damian requested.

“Just until Dick gets back.” Jason confirmed, opening his book as he crossed his ankles. “And I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

Damian seemed satisfied with that, pulling the blanket up to his chin and burying his face in the pillows. Jason smirked, turning a page.

~~

Dick returned an hour later. What he expected was a report that Damian had been a testy little brat all night. What he wasn’t expecting was to find both Jason and Damian asleep in Jason’s room, with Damian curled snugly into Jason’s side.

And if Jason ever asked how Talia got a hold of a picture of that exact scene, well…Dick was always really great at playing dumb.

**Author's Note:**

> [Other Mafia AU stories](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/search/mafia+au)   
> 


End file.
